引水入墙

引水入牆

yǐnshuǐ-rùqiáng

idiom

Meanings

1 lit. to channel water through one's own wall
2 to invite trouble upon oneself
3 to bring disaster on oneself

Characters

to lead, channel

Examples

HSK 5

把这种人请进公司，简直是引水入墙。

Bǎ zhèzhǒng rén qǐngjìn gōngsī, jiǎnzhí shì yǐnshuǐrùqiáng.

Bringing this kind of person into the company is just inviting disaster.

HSK 7-9

向竞争对手透露技术细节，无异于引水入墙。

Xiàng jìngzhēng duìshǒu tòulù jìshù xìjié, wúyìyú yǐnshuǐrùqiáng.

Revealing technical details to a competitor is no different from welcoming the flood through your own wall.

Tips

history

From 文康's Qing-era novel 《儿女英雄传》('A Tale of Heroic Lovers'), Chapter 4: '这不是我自己引水入墙，开门揖盗么？' - 'Isn't this just channeling water through my own wall and bowing thieves in through the front door?' Often paired with 开门揖盗 ('opening the gate and bowing the thief in').

usage

Used to scold someone, often in hindsight, for an action that handed an enemy or hazard direct access. Stronger than 自找麻烦 ('asking for trouble'); the water imagery suggests a flood you can't take back.

Stroke Order

引 yǐn

水 shuǐ

入 rù

墙 qiáng